British surfer killed on one of Sydney's most dangerous beaches

Matthew Richell, a 41-year-old British father of two who died while surfing at one of Sydney's most dangerous beaches

Matthew Richell's body is taken to a waiting ambulancePhoto: DANIEL SHAW/DEMOTIX

By Jonathan Pearlman, Sydney

12:32PM BST 03 Jul 2014

A 41-year-old British father and prominent book publisher has died while surfing in a treacherous stretch of water at one of Sydney's best-known and most dangerous beaches.

Matthew Richell, the head of HachetteAustralia, was surfing with a friend at Bronte beach. But he was dragged north towards neighbouring Tamarama beach, into an area known as "The Twins", where he was knocked unconscious after smashing into rocks. He was dragged out by other surfers while a rescue team despatched a jet ski, but he could not be resuscitated.

His wife Hannah, a novelist with whom he had two children aged six and three, said he "was a beautiful spirit".

Mr Richell's death brought in tributes from across the publishing community in Australia and internationally.

Tim Hely Hutchinson, the group chief executive of Hachette UK, said the accident was a shocking tragedy.

"Our thoughts and most heartfelt condolences are with Matt's wife Hannah, his family, his colleagues and many friends in publishing and more widely," he said in a statement.

Mr Richell and his wife had moved from Britain to Australia, where he worked for seven years as Hachette Australia's sales and marketing director before becoming chief executive 18 months ago.

Jon Page, a past president of the Australian Booksellers' Association, said Mr Richell was a "champion of books".

"Books and family were his life," he told The Sydney Morning Herald. "He would always want to tell you about either the books he was reading or a new Australian author about to be published – which were not always Hachette books. He was a champion of books and his passion and enthusiasm was infectious and inspiring."

Local lifeguards said Mr Richell had been dragged from Bronte to Tamarama, a narrow beach where dangerous rips can carry surfers towards the rocks.

"It's dangerous in there because you have a lot of ledges underneath," Bruce Hopkins, a local lifeguard, told The Sydney Morning Herald. "You've got sharp rocks, and there's no other way out of there."

Coleen O'Neill, a Bronte lifeguard, said the rips in the area were "very treacherous".

"That particular spot would have to be the most dangerous on the beach," she said. "And Tamarama is classed as the most dangerous beach in Sydney, I'd say, and Bronte's not too far behind it."